We've lived in our house for three summers and have never had any problems with the air conditioner. Today I noticed that there was ice on the coolant return line outside the house. I didn't think anything of it. Later in the day (now), the system had shut off. Even though the temperature in the house was much higher than the thermostat setting, neither the air blower nor the fan in the AC unit outside was running. I've read that the ice on the lines may mean that the system is low on coolant. Will simply having the coolant recharged fix the problem? Do I just need to wait for something to thaw? ice usually means either your air handler isn't pushing enough air across the coil, or your system is out of refrigerant. so first step is to set the cool/off switch to off. then set your fan switch to on. if the air handler fan does not turn on, then you have a problem with your air handler or thermostat. possibly something you can fix yourself. otherwise, you probably have a problem with refrigerant (which should not deplete, and if it does then you have a leak somewhere) or your compressor.

in either case, you should leave your system off to avoid damaging your compressor until someone can come out and look at it. A frozen suction line is generally more indicative of poor evaporator coil airflow rather than being low on charge. Before you jump into checking pressures or troubleshooting the furnace/condenser controls, check to make sure your furnace fan is providing proper airflow, the filter is clean and the coil(s) are clean. This is a long shot but check your electrical panel and make sure the circuit breaker for the air conditioner is not tripped. I think the air conditioner unit will be on its own circuit separate from the blower that circulates air throughout your house (at least that is how it is set up in my house). If the air conditioner circuit is tripped, then the AC unit will not go on but still you will be hearing your blower and think everything is working. I would check airflow. Have you closed and air vents, is any furniture blocking vents, has any work been done to the ducts, is the filter dirty, is the evaporate coil dirty, is the blower wheel dirty, is the blower spinning at the right speed.

Once those things have been confirmed, THEN you check your refrigerant. 70% of the service calls for iced evaporators are from dirty filters/ restricted airflow AND/OR low on charge. Also check for any restrictions in the liquid line (small copper) such as a pinch or Kink. split ac unit diagramFeel if the line is hot before the kink and cool after. parts of split type air-conditioning unitService and Maintenance are generally based on how good your observations are.how to replace an hvac compressor My problem was a bad run capacitor for the blower, With the air handling unit fan (blower) not running properly this caused my suction line to freeze up.Browse other questions tagged air-conditioning heat-pump or ask your own question.

I installed a new programmable thermostat back in December and it has been wonderful. It replaced a (probably) 50+ year old dial thermostat. To my question - now that it is really hot outside (85+ degrees F), I have noticed that after my inside A/C unit has stopped, and the house is at the proper temperature, that my outside unit will continue to run. Sometimes it will run for 30 minutes, sometimes all the way until the inside unit needs to run again, and others it will shut off when the inside unit does. Any ideas if something may be wrong, or could it just be the newer thermostat cycles the unit differently than my old one? I never had this problem in the summer with the old one. EDIT - Just to get this all in the question: Air Handler/Furnace - Trane XE 78 EDIT 2 - Wiring at the thermostat You've got a wiring problem, or a bad circuit board somewhere. It's possible that the condenser unit is wired to run all of the time, but some protection circuit is kicking in and shutting it down.

If that's the case, you would probably have ice build-up on your coils. What is more likely is a relay somewhere is sticking, and remains closed when de-energized. If you provide the model number of you air handler and your condenser, I might be able to provide more direction.Browse other questions tagged air-conditioning thermostat or ask your own question.I am an air conditioner repair tech (20+yrs). Describe your problem and I will employ my ancient majiks to ascertain the solution. HomeImprovement)submitted by It's hot. We HVAC companies are expensive. If you are handy, and comfortable checking a few things, you might get away with an easy fix. If it does require a professional, I can at least arm you with knowledge so you don't get taken advantage of. For those of you EXPERIENCED with meters, voltage that can inconvenience your children with funeral costs, and a firm acceptance that you might cause some serious $$$s in repair, HERE (corrected) is a diagnosis flow chart for newby HVAC techs.

Note, some base knowledge is assumed, and it does not address refrigerant (freon) diagnosis. Also, the box talking about checking compressor terminals for "open" should be clarified that meter set to Ohms If you have a question please help me out: tell me if your system is anything other than a standard central HVAC system with a furnace or electric heater inside (or under house/attic) with ductwork coming off and an air conditioner outside. let me know if it is a heat pump5yr old, 10yr old, 73yr old when was the last time it worked well EDIT: I will answer your question, may just take a bit. Even if this thread is months old. I was getting, and answering a couple questions a week all year from the last time I did a post like this. If you have a multi-level/story house with one system, and have temperature balance issues, read all the posts from your fellow sufferers here. If you dont see what you need in these comments, check the questions I answered in 2015